Method of and apparatus for treating asphaltic oils for the production of asphalt and the recovery of lighter products.



F. H. DUNHAM. MB'I HOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING ASPHALTIG OILS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ASPHALT AND THE REOOVERY 0P LIGHTER .PBODUGTS. APYLIOATIOI FILED APR, 1810.

1,01 3, Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

A "11" ha UNITED STATES PATENT (OFFICE.

rnanxnm n. DURHAM, or simra PAULA, camronma.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING ASPHALTIG OILS FOR THE PRODUC- TION-OF ASPHALT AND THE RECOVERY OF LIGHTER PRODUCTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

Application filed April 26, 1910. Serial No. 557,817.

at SantaPaula, in the county of Ventura and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Treatin Asphaltic Oils'for the Production of Asp alt and the Recovcry of Lighter Products, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the method and apparatus described in my application Serial No. 416,611, filed in the United States Patent Ofice Feb. 18, 1908, in which ,I claim the method of obtaining asphalt from asphaltic oils which consists in heating the oils to a temperature of from 400 to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, within a shell, removing oil from the lower portion of the shell, to the upper portion of the shell and there subjecting the same to the temperature of the shell above the surface of the lower charge of oil, and removing the vapors from the shell below the level of the upper charge thereof. I also claim therein apparatus for obtaining asphalt cement from asphalt solutions comprising the com bination with a shell, means to heat a charge of asphaltic solution in the shell, means for carrying ofi, light vapors from the upper portion of the shell, -and means near the median portion of the shell to carry 01f heavy vapors of condensation from the walls of the shell, of an evaporating pan in the shellabove the last-named means, and means for transferring liquid from the lower, part of the charge inthe shell to said evaporating The object of the resent improvement is to-greatly increase t e out ut of the prod ucts for a given time wit out increase of D t material in the pan and come into contact e ense.

regard this invention as pioneer within the scope of the appended claims. L l

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

' Figure 1 is a vertical mid-sectional elevation on line m, Fig. 2, of apparatus embodying this improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. The condenser is sectioned on line 00 Fig. 1. Figlii is a section on line so, Figs. 1 and 2, l 0 'ng toward the left'and showin a part of the apparatus shown and claime in said former application and not claimedherein.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-section which may be a section of either of the perforated pipes shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

A cylindrical extractor shell 1' which may be of any suitable dimensions, as for instance, twelve feet in diameter to twentytwo feet in length, is set in a furnace wall 2 of ordinary construction, and is provided supplying heat to a charge of asphaltic oil in the lower half of the shell. 'Said shell, as in the former application, may have a slant or slo e from the front to the rear end suflicient or drainage; for instance, six inches .to twenty-two feet. The perforated suction pipe 4 having orifices a at its under side receives the fluid material at the bottom of the extractor and the pump 5 is connected with the higher end of the pipe 4 to draw liquid through such pipe from the bottom of the charge in the extractor and to discharge it into an eva crating pan 6 located in the extractor, pre erably about mid-way between the axial plane of the extractor and the top of the extractor. Said pump 5 serves to supply to the evaporating pan 6 liquid drawn from the pum of the extractor, but instead of returning all of the liquid thus withdrawn directly tosthe pan, said liquid or a determined port-ion thereof is first passed through an external condenser which ma be a cylindrical sheet metal shell b having inside thereof a continuous'" channeled spiral pan 0 extending from near the top of the shell b down into a bottom pan d,at the bottom of the shell but of less diameter than the shell. The shell I) is preferably circular in horizontal cross section and 1s exteriorly cooled by any sultable means as b atmospheric air to condense vapors wh1ch may arise from the hot with the wallsof the condenser shell. An outlet 6 is provided for the liquids thus condensed, and which in practice would be heavy 'lubricatin oils. The li 111d that does not escape rom the channe ed pan 0 is delivered into the bottom pan dwhich is provided with a central outlet f which communicates through a pipe 9 with a perforated distributer pipe which extends along beneath the evaporating pan 6 1n the extractor.

, The pipe 7, which leads from the (pump 5, is provlded with two branches 1 an 7, prowith means asthe fluid fuel burner 3 for vided with valves in, m. The branch :1 discharges into the evaporating pan 6 and the branch leads to. the upper end of the condenser shell 6 and is there provided with an opening n to discharge the material pumped. therethrough into the to of the spiral channel an a. By adjusting the valves in, m, part y open a portion of the liquid pumped through the pipe 7 will flow into the pan 6 and another portion will flow into the pan 0. The liquid which flows into the an a flows downward in said pan and withm the condenser throwirttig ofi its vapors until it reaches the an li uid flows throu h t e pi e 9 onto the top 0? the charge of eated oi in the extractor shell. As with the former application the evaporting pan 6 is supporte bolts 8 and troughs 9 are arranged along the walls at the mldortion of the extractor shell to collect the eavier vapors and to conduct them out of the extractor through pipes 10 together with the lighter oils that may collect on and fall down the side of the shell. Outlets 11 for the lighter vapors are also provided, and lead to a receptacle, not shown, adapted for the recovery and retention of any vapors flowing through said outlet and ii uids condensed therefrom. A di'aw-ofi 12 or the hot asphaltic cement is provided at the lower end of the extractor shell 1, which is set aslant downward away from the end at which the oil and the fire are applied. By this combination with the extractor of a supplementary condenser for removing the heavy oils which may riseas vapor from the heated material drawn from the bottom of the extractor, and allowing the resultant product to flow back on to the top of the char e of oil in the extractor, great economy 0 time is secured for the reason that the oils which will escape in the form of vapor from the heated material thus drawn from close to the source of heat at the bottom of the charge will be immediately eliminated by means of the condenser, and the asphaltic' material returned from the condenser direct to the top of the charge in the extractor will be heavier than the material at the top of the charge and will tend to carry the same down and produce agitation in said charge.

The operation is not continuous, a single charge of asphalt solution being treated until the required asphaltic cement of the desired penetration is secured; all of the li hter materials having been extracted.

en the charge has been fully treated the asphaltic cement will be drawn ofl? through the valved pipe 12 that communicates with the perforated pipe 4; and a new charge may be pum ed into the extractor-through the valved pipe 13 which also communicates with pipe 4. The valves 14, 15 of the pipes 12, 13, may then be closed and the process and thence the by rods or described will then be repeated with the new charge of asphaltic oil.

The speed of the pump 5 and the regulation of the valves I: and n will be determined by the judgment of the operator, consideration being had to the temperature of the charge in the shell and the relative vaporizing and condensin areas. The pum twill be run at a spe sufiicient to disc arge a constant flow of liquid into the top of the condenser through the pipe j; and the valves Zr and n will be regulated to allow liquid to flow into the pan 6 in sufiicient quantity to maintain a constant flow of liquid through the pan to the lower end thereof which is farthest from the pipe 5." The discharge of lubricating oil through the pipe e may be tour times, more or less, that of the discharged material through all of the pipes 10 and 11'. During the operation the attendant will regulate the burner, the pump and the valves so as to maintain a predetermined heat of the charge. and a predetermined output at the various outlets. Various heats and various proportions of output may be obtained to greater or less advantage with different kinds of oil and no set rule is deemed practicable for all kinds of oil.

I claim 1. The method of obtaining asphalt cement from asphaltic oils, which consists in.

heating a charged the oil to a tem erature between 400 and 600 degrees I Fa renheit within a shell by heat applied to the bottom of the shell; removing asphaltic solution froin the bottom of the charge in the shell and condensing outside said shellvapors arising from said solution; returning the unvaporized portion of said solution to the top of the asphaltic charge in the shell and removing vapors from the shell.

2. The method of obtaining asphalt cement from asphaltic oils, which consists in heating the oil to a temperature between 400 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit within a shell by heat applied to the bottom of the shell; removin asphaltic solution from the bottom of the s ell; condensing outside said shell vapors arising from said solution and "returning the unvaporized solution to the top of the asphaltic'charge in the shell; collecting and condensing vapors arisin inside the shell, discharging said vapors an condensation from the shell, and finally withdrawing the asphaltic cement from the shell.

3. The method of obtaining asphalt cement from asphaltic oils, which consists in heating a charge of oil to a temperature between 400 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit within a shell by heat applied to the bottom of the shell; removing asphaltic solution from the bottom of the charge in the shell, condensing outside said shell va ors arisin from solution; returnin t e unvaporized portion of said solution rom the condenser to the top of the asphaltic charge in the shell; removin asphaltic solution from the bottom of the 0 ar e in the shell, conductin the same direct y to the upper portion 0 the shell and removing from the shell vapors arising in the shell, and finally removing the ufiiviiidporized asphaltic product from the s e 4. The combination with an extractor shell, of means to heat the bottom of the shell, a condenser shell outside the extractor shell, a spiral pan inside the condenser shell, means to draw liquid from the bottom of the extractor shell and deliver it to the top of the an, means to discharge the products of con ensation from the condenser shell, means to conduct the uncondensed products from the condenser shell and return it to the extractor shell, and means to dischar vaporized products from the condenser sh 5. Apparatus for obtainin asphaltic cement andlighter products Irom asphaltic solution, com rising a shell, a condenser outside the shel means to heat the bottom of the shell, means to discharge from the shell the vapors arising in the shell, means to draw olf asphaltic solution from the bottom of the shell and deliver it to the condenser, means to discharge condensed vapors from the condenser, and means to return the unvaporized asphaltic product to the shell.

6. The combination with an extractor shell of means to heat the lower ortion of the shell, a perforated pipe exten ing along the bottom of the shell, a condenser having a shell outside the extractor shell, means to pump liquid from the pi e to the condenser and to the extractor shel and means to recover the vapors from both shells.

7. The method set forth, which consists in heating a charge of asphaltic oil to a term perature between 400 and 600 de rees Fahrenheit within a shell by heat app ied below the surface of the charge; removing asphaltic solution from below thesurface of the charge, allowing vapors to arise from such removed solution, condensing outside sai shell vapors arising from said removed sol tion; returning the unvaporized portion of said solution to the upper part of the charge in the shell and removing vapors from the shell and continuing the operation until the residue in the shell constitutes an asphaltic cement.

8. In apparatus for obtaining asphaltic cement from asphaltic oils, the combination with an extractorshell, of means to heat a charge in the shell, means to draw off the lower portion of such char e and deliver it to a condenser, such con enser, means to discharge condensed vapors from the condenser and means to return unvaporized asphaltic product from the condenser to the shell.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 13th day of April, 1910.

FRANKLIN H. DUN HAM.

In presence of- JAMES R. Townsnnn, L. BELLE Rica. 

